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Often dismissed by locals as a tourist spot, the Sydney area known as The Rocks is a multifaceted neighbourhood where residences, shops, boutiques, bars, cafés, restaurants, and attractions make for an appealing weekend getaway, even for city residents. The original site of Sydney’s foundation, The Rocks retains an air of Australian history today.

The Rocks‘ many attractions and activities aren’t just for tourists. The weekend markets along Playfair Street and George Street bustle with locals and visitors looking for gifts, souvenirs, useful home items, and tasty treats. Shops lining the pedestrian-friendly streets are an interesting agglomeration of retailers, none more pleasing than Get Drenched. This playful place on Playfair Street, run by a thoroughly affable couple who are the very personification of a friendly welcome, Get Drenched sells a variety of soaps, creams, gels, and lotions to make personal care a highlight of a day at home, relaxing to the fragrance of one of the shop’s scented candles.

: Enjoy a twilight dinner cruise with Sydney Tall Ships

: See the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the inside with BrldgeClimb

In The Rocks, though, there is too much to do to stay home for long. Of course, BridgeClimb is famous worldwide for the exciting experience it offers adventurous customers, tethered directly to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as they climb to the summit of the city’s beloved landmark. BridgeClimb offers a number of different climbing experiences, from its (literally) over-the-top Summit Climb to the engrossing Insider Summit Climb, as well as other climbs at all hours of the day from sunrise to sunset. Not just a once-in-a-lifetime experience, BridgeClimb gives participants a new view and greater awareness of Sydney’s extent with every ascent.

: Chateau Tanunda brings the Barossa Valley to Sydney

: Chateau Tanunda winetasting sessions evoke a European sensibility

As a compact neighbourhood, The Rocks is within easy walking distance of everything. Just down the steps from BridgeClimb’s entrance on Cumberland Street are Argyle Street and Jack Mundey Place, the latter serving as a convenient central meeting point. Down the very narrow lane of Nurses Walk is the Sydney cellar door of South Australia’s Château Tanunda wine estate. In this cosy establishment, redolent of a classic European winery, wine-tasting sessions hosted by enthusiastic oenophiles give customers a deeper understanding of the grapes grown in the château’s vineyards and the wines produced from them. Across Jack Mundey Place and down Kendall Lane is The Rocks Discovery Museum, a discovery for many Sydneysiders who don’t even know it exists. Free to enter, the museum houses insightful displays on Sydney’s history in a building that evokes times gone by.

A Sydney Tall Ships cruise is a fun way to see Sydney from the water

With so much focus on Sydney Harbour, the best way to end the day is on the water on board a historic vessel with Sydney Tall Ships. The owners of this friendly company take great pride in preserving a piece of Sydney’s maritime history by offering a wide selection of harbour cruises on masted sailing vessels, including a twilight dinner cruise to watch a perfect sunset with the Bridge as a backdrop. Sydney Tall Ships vessels can be chartered for private use for everything from New Year’s Eve on the harbour to whale-watching excursions and even oceangoing cruises.